


A Life Not Meant to Be

by prettypersistent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 16:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2587985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettypersistent/pseuds/prettypersistent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Oh, what strange wonderful clocks women are. They nest in Time. They make the flesh that holds fast and binds eternity. They live inside the gift, know power, accept, and need not mention it. Why speak of time when you are Time, and shape the universal moments, as they pass, into warmth and action? How men envy and often hate these warm clocks, these wives, who know they will live forever."</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Life Not Meant to Be

**Author's Note:**

> basically, i wanted to explore the headcanon of marian being gay with something much more brief, but then this happened instead. once i got the idea to include zelena, i knew it couldn't be brief. so, this is set in present canon, but zelena wasn't killed and the frozen arc isn't occurring. as for the rest, you'll find out if you read! enjoy! :)
> 
> (summary credit: ray bradbury - 'something wicked this way comes')

It's Marian who ultimately breaks it off. She doesn't even know how to end a marriage, let alone in this strange land.

She just knows that if Robin and Regina have true love, then whatever she's feeling isn't it. She wasn't even sure she desired him anymore--not that he made any attempts at showing her physical affection.

For the past three months, he had been a mere companion to her. While she appreciated his compassion, there was really very little that was honorable about it.

Unfortunately, no longer having companionship made Storybrooke an even lonelier place. Even though she needs more than Robin can give--and it wouldn't even have been fair to either of them--she is a complete stranger to this town, so what more _could_ she even get?

Despite consisting of the same inhabitants, Storybrooke is nothing like the Enchanted Forest. It was a close-knit town, where over the years, both in and out of the curse, everyone had come to know everyone--except her.

She had bought some new, modern clothes that still paid homage to her homeland, but were much more practical for the environment. Still, though she had started adjusting, she had no employment by the curse, or other means. But she is good with her hands, so she thought about talking to Geppetto about an apprenticeship.

She heads out for a walk, in an attempt at some socialization--or maybe she just needs to get out of the studio apartment that Regina had put her up in. She would have refused, but the Storybrooke forest is no place to live during a Maine winter, especially when Roland would be staying with her, half of the time.

Coming across a coffee shop called The Brew, she heads inside. She loved when the pubs back home would obtain the beans that they would roast to create the beverage.

As she stands at the counter, browsing the menu that confuses her as much as they all do, she hears an enchanting voice.

"Hello, doll."

Turning, Marian searches for the origin of the sound, finding a beautiful woman sitting behind her with eyes as blue as her hair is red. When no recipient seems present, however, Marian wonders if the greeting was intended for her.

"M-Me?" Marian stammers, pointing at her own chest.

"Of course," the woman responds, wearing a sickeningly sweet grin.

"Do we know each other?" Marian asks, though she's sure she'd remember a being such as this one.

"Oh, you haven't fallen victim to one of those pesky memory curses, have you?"

"I may as well have," she sighs. "Apparently I have this whole other life--or death, rather--that I have no recollection of, and now I'm stuck here, with no knowledge of what _this_ life for me should be, either."

The woman raises her eyebrows, showing off the sharp features of her face even more. "Are you always this open with strangers?"

"You know what, I'm just really damn tired of being a stranger," Marian replies.

"Good. I'm Zelena. Order yourself a beverage and sit down."

\--

After ordering a coffee (The barista suggested she have it with cream and sugar, which she never would have thought to do. It was delicious.), she sat down across from the woman called Zelena.

Her eyes take in what she can see of the woman. She starts with her fiery red hair, in perfect, tightly spiraled curls which are pulled back to perfectly frame her face. Now, Zelena's face is something unlike any other, Marian thought. Her skin is creamy, with the lightest of freckles that make Marian's eyes dance across her face. It ends with her chin, in a perfect point, leading her gaze down to sculpted collar bones with more freckles, and then deliciously full breasts which rose and fell with every breath Zelena took.

Marian had always been one to marvel at the absolute beauty of womanhood, and this particular woman embodied it completely.

"Hello? Marian?" Zelena voices, and Marian quickly snaps her head up on response.

"Sorry... How do you know my name?" she asks, with a furrowed brow.

"I've done my research," Zelena says, with a shrug that she's sure is supposed to come off as confident, but it appears so sexy.

"Are you some kind of siren, or something?" Marian whispers, the words just falling from her lips, as if this woman _must_ have some kind of enchanting effect on her.

"Bloody hell," Zelena declares, shaking her head. "I'm quite flattered, doll, but no. Am I really attracting you at the moment?"

Marian's heart is fluttering and she sure feels like she's attracted to the woman. She understands that an immediate attraction to a person is sometimes a normal thing. She's just never experienced it before--not with Robin and definitely not with the Sheriff.

"I just--I mean, you know me and I don't know you. I feel like you're drawing me in."

"I get it--you're new here. You still think magic is lurking around every corner. That, or you’ve given way to this new age lesbian phenomenon. I know you were married to the thief, so I can't imagine that is the norm for you," Zelena rambles.

"Wh-What...?" Marian mutters, more confused than before.

"Apparently it's a fad in this realm. I only know because the wolf talked my head off about it. She insisted that I need a friend..."

Marian considers what Zelena said; about how it couldn't be the norm for her. She remembers heading down to the springs with the girls in Sherwood. She and Lady Annabel would always walk together because they were in neighboring homes. They would bathe and then lay out in the sun to dry off.

Marian couldn't help but admire her friend. Whenever Annabel needed help reaching her back, Marian would be right there, lifting her hair off of her neck and massaging the soap into her skin. When she brought the water up to rinse her off, sometimes she would lean forward to smell Annabel's sweet skin.

They would lay for at least an hour, Annabel resting her eyes, while Marian watched the water slowly drip from the Lady's body. She remembers wanting to kiss the beads from her perfect breasts; feel the tender skin beneath her cold fingertips; taste rosy nipples.

Lady Annabel was a marvel of a woman and Marian couldn't help the attraction to her, but she was never made to believe that a romance between two women was possible. Annabel was married to a Sherwood knight, and at that point in her life, Marian was to be, too.

But maybe there are more possibilities in this strange new world.

Marian looks up slowly. "That's what all this is about? You're recruiting me to be your friend?"

Zelena laughs, but in a way that is almost maniacal. “I guess you could say that, doll. They say that the enemy of your enemy is your friend--and I believe you and I have a common enemy.”

Wondering if she would rather have enemies than be completely without company, as she is currently, Marian shakes her head. “I don’t have any enemies. I barely know anyone here.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. I believe you’ve been acquainted with my sister longer than I have,” Zelena responds, without missing a beat--almost as if she knew how the conversation would go.

\--

Robin had told her briefly about their battle against the Wicked Witch of The West, but Marian hadn’t realized that it was Zelena, until the woman mentioned being Regina’s sister. She isn’t sure why Robin is willing to be involved with these people, and she’s definitely even more apprehensive about Roland being around them.

It was for that reason that Marian agreed to meet Zelena for tea at her cabin. She’s actually glad that Zelena is secluded from the town, because as much as she has tried to be social, she just doesn’t fit in this world.

Robin explained how they’re all viewed as some kind of fairytale characters in this world, but Marian is pretty sure that is exactly what she is, anyway.

While she knows it must be risky to meet Zelena alone, she figures it can’t make much of a difference. Apparently, any fateful force can decide whether she lives or dies, at any given moment.

Plus, Zelena’s the first person in Storybrooke who still seems tied to her roots, like Marian is.

“How do you take your tea, doll?” Zelena asks her.

“With sugar, please.”

“Of course.” She is sure she sees Zelena smirk when she says that and drops a couple sugar cubes in the cup.

But Marian can’t help but think that there’s something more that Zelena’s intimidating behavior is covering up. In fact, she’s nearly certain of it.

Sitting on the couch, she runs her hand over her ponytail. Zelena doesn’t seem to shy away from the extravagant hairstyles and outfits, but Marian has to admit that she does enjoy the comfort of this realm, a bit.

“Listen, I don’t know what your plans for Regina are, but I have no intentions of being involved,” she tells the Witch.

“I’m not going to kill her, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Zelena clarifies, rolling her eyes in the process. “Though, I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to, given that she had you killed.”

“Yes, but that is apparently in the past,” Marian says. It feels like just moments ago to her, which is completely mind-boggling, and sometimes she almost despises Emma for saving her under these circumstances. At least her death had been a result of her own choice. This life had been chosen for her. “Besides, while you may have a point for me, if I understand correctly, didn’t Regina give you a second chance?”

“Yes, but a second chance at what?” Zelena snaps, the building rage in her visible. “Living in an isolated town where everyone hates me, without my magic. Meanwhile, everyone loves her, as if all the awful things she did never happened!”

Marian can’t deny that point. She had put her own life on the line to save Snow White from the Queen. And now, Snow hasn’t so much as given her a second glance, because she’s been too busy caring for Regina.

Sighing deeply, she looks at Zelena. “Well, I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it now.”

“I want to take away her power. We’ve never been on a level playing field and it isn’t fair!”

“Look, I’m not overly fond of this place, either, and the circumstances definitely aren’t fair. But perhaps you should stop playing life like a game and try to make the best of it.”

“So you aren’t going to help me?” Zelena says, her jaw clenching tightly.

Marian smiles softly. “Of course I am,” she insists. Looking into the woman’s piercing blue eyes for a moment, she takes a breath. “By the way, I don’t think all your magic is gone.”

Zelena raises her eyebrows and they continue to hold one another’s gaze until the whistling tea pot disrupts them.

\--

Marian begins spending all of her time without Roland at Zelena’s cottage. It is partially due to her promise to help Zelena, but mostly because she enjoys being there more than anywhere else in Storybrooke.

She’s not helping Zelena in the way the Witch had intended, and the woman is constantly trying to convince her to reconsider. But Marian knows it isn’t worth it. Too much has changed since their time in the Enchanted Forest.

Besides, if anyone should feel vengeance toward Regina, it’s her, not Zelena. But she knows that the Evil Queen has changed most of all, and no one sympathizes with Marian anymore.

No one but Zelena.

Regardless of her motivations, Zelena is the only one who is equally taken aback by the town’s reverence for Regina. Marian feels that way because she wasn’t around to see enough of Regina’s growth. And Zelena’s feelings come from the fact that she’s made some of the same mistakes as Regina, but hasn’t yet been able to redeem herself in the same way.

Sometimes Marian almost considers Zelena’s ideas, but she ultimately knows that living for herself is the stronger choice, and she wants to help Zelena see that, too.

Because Marian and Zelena’s lives were corrupted by other people making a choice for them.

She does tell Zelena about her sister, however--how she is no longer the Mayor and seems to be making better choices that have nothing to do with power. While Marian recognizes the Queen’s growth, she does not truly care about it. But she does want to help Zelena let go of her all-consuming rage.

The Witch still wants her magic back, however, and her latest plan is to take it from Regina, or at least split it between the two sisters. But whenever she’s around the enchanting woman, she just knows that her magic isn’t lost completely; she can _feel_ it.

“You had magic without your amulet before, right? It may have been taken from you that way, but I think it’s something you can find in yourself again.”

“No, I can’t! All my magic was transferred into the amulet when that bloody witch tricked me! Either I get the amulet back, or I take that magic myself. Regina already has everything else that was denied to me, anyway. You can attest to that.”

Love. Marian can attest that Regina has true love, which must mean that it’s something Zelena wants, too.

Magic and love may be two things Marian knows very little about anymore, but she can’t help hoping to bring both of them out in Zelena.

\--

“I got a job at the shop, with Geppetto,” Marian says on a day Zelena is being particularly quiet.

She’s so grateful to Geppetto for giving her a chance, because the work makes her happy and gives her a sense of accomplishment in this world where she spent so much time feeling like a lost lamb. She made Roland a wooden rocking horse, which he seems to adore. She may not be able to conjure gifts for the lad like Regina, but she finds satisfaction in creating something with her own two hands.

“How are you doing?” she asks her. Marian wishes Zelena would find something to focus all her burning passion on, aside from revenge. It’s clear that no one would trust her as a midwife anymore, but she just knows there has to be an opportunity for her to seize.

Groaning, Zelena continues to look past Marian, who is sitting on the couch. “How do you think I’m doing? I’ve been trying to open this damn window for the past hour.”

“Okay…” Marian gets up and pushes the window open.

“Don’t! You’re the one who told me to try and bring my magic back.”

“Oh.” Marian frowns, realizing why Zelena had been so quiet. She had been practicing. “Well, maybe it’s not that simple.”

Marian can practically see the woman’s blood boil. “Oh, it isn’t?” Zelena lifts her hand in a choke-hold motion, but Marian feels nothing. Well, she definitely feels something, maybe even a lack of oxygen, but it isn't from a choking hex.

Marian stands up, shaking her head as she approaches the woman. "Maybe you can't use dark magic anymore, but there _is_ magic inside of you."

Her hand reaches out to stroke Zelena’s cheek. It slides down to clasp around the back of her neck in clear juxtaposition to the hex Zelena had attempted to perform. “I told you I’d help you.”

“I don’t _want_ your help anymore, doll,” Zelena says, her lip quivering.

But Marian persists as if she didn’t even hear the woman. “I know you want love, even if you think power and revenge are more important. I can show you that it doesn't have to be..."

"I tried to love once. And it was absolutely awful."

“Clearly my attempt at it was no better. But this…” She moves her hand down to Zelena’s breast, cupping it tenderly over her attire. “This I can do,” she says, gulping.

“You can love me?” Zelena whispers, her voice cracking and barely audible. Marian brings her thumb to brush across the woman’s dry lips and lets out a sultry breath as she imagines bringing warmth and dampness back into them.

“I believe I can,” she says, nodding. Still holding Zelena’s perfect mound in her hand, she leans in and kisses her neck, leaving wet traces behind. “I understand if you’re not--interested.”

Before she has the chance to pull away, she feels Zelena’s hand slide up between them to unbutton her own blouse. Marian helps her out of it before looking for approval to remove the woman’s bra, which she is granted.

Her top half is exposed and Marian wants to use that exposure try and find something better than what they have been experiencing. She wants to embrace the feelings that she has so long suppressed.

Helping Zelena onto the couch, she attempts to wrap a hand around each of her voluptuous breasts. Her thumbs make symmetrical circles around the sensitive flesh. “You’re the most beautiful being I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” Marian whispers before sitting up to remove her own garments. She leans back down, allowing her dark nipples to brush against Zelena’s pink ones, sending a sensation through her body that she’s certain she’s never felt before.

Her lips meet Zelena’s collar bone and travel down between her breasts and along her smooth stomach. “I’m falling. Falling. Falling...” she mutters between kisses. “I’m falling for you.”

Zelena lets out a moan that tells her she’s responding to her actions. “Marian--Are you sure?” she asks, glancing down at her.

“Yes. Are you?”

“No, of course not. So show me.”

Marian smiles and runs her fingers through Zelena’s hair. “I would like nothing more,” she whispers before meeting her lips. They kiss while shedding their remaining clothing; while their hands explore one another’s bodies, preparing to make love.

Marian thrusts her fingers inside the woman and without even a passing breeze, the window slams shut.

\--

Zelena becomes her clarity; her stability. She wonders if it’s Zelena, or accepting her sexuality, but she is fairly certain there couldn’t be one without the other. Because she is falling in love with this woman. And now she understands why Robin was able to open his heart to the Evil Queen.

Zelena is a bit closed off, though. It’s nothing that she blatantly says or does, but Marian can tell that the guard she spent years building up isn’t going to come down so easily.

During one of Roland’s drop offs, she even asked Robin about it; asked him if it was difficult for Regina to let herself love, after years of vengeance. When he mentioned that the Wicked Witch played a hand in their journey, she definitely felt herself blush.

He hadn’t gone into much detail and was clearly uncomfortable, which Marian finds interesting, because the more her feelings for Zelena grow, the less resentment she feels toward her marriage ending (and her entire life being turned upside down). She feels comfortable rebuilding the friendship they once had.

Marian is constantly second guessing if it’s more than just the long-worn guard for Zelena, however. She wonders if it has anything to do with the fact that they are both women. In the beginning, Zelena had always seemed a bit put-off by Marian’s clear attraction to her. But now, when they’re together...it makes so much sense.

They’re bursting with passion. When they make love, their bodies are sweaty and aroused. Zelena makes these sounds that she’s sure couldn’t be found anywhere else in humanity or nature.

They are still learning together, so it’s not always perfect, but Marian is never uncomfortable. She realizes what she has been missing out on; what everyone else must feel when they’re connecting with the right person. It wasn’t that Robin was not a good lover, but she knows now that she was never meant to be with a man. And there is no one to blame but their society.

Moonlight shines onto them through Zelena’s bedroom window. It highlights the way Marian’s glistening body contrasts against Zelena’s speckled skin.

They have just finished an hour of particularly intense love making. During the throws of Zelena's climax, the lights had flickered and Marian swore she saw stars. But it was quiet and calm now.

Smiling, she leans over to kiss Zelena before taking a red curl and swirling it around her own nipple. "I never thought this would be possible," she whispers. "I don't think it would be without you."

"Why not? You've loved before," Zelena says.

"Yes, but...I've always been drawn to women, the way most people are of the opposite sex." She pauses to prop herself up a bit. It seems Zelena is being open with her and she's not going to miss out on that. "I think I loved Robin because he made me feel like I had a choice; like at least if I couldn't be true to myself, I could run away and make my own decisions--rather than be married off to the sheriff of Nottingham."

She sighs briefly and pulls herself closer to the woman. "Plus, he is a good man. I just wasn't meant to be with one. A man, that is." Her hand brushes along Zelena's upper body. "What about your first love?"

Zelena chuckles a bitter laughter. "First love--that's too sweet a phrase. What I had was...wicked."

"Was it--with a man or woman?" Marian asks, resting her chin on Zelena's chest.

"Don't get your hopes up, doll. It was a man," the beautiful witch responds.

Marian cannot help but be hopeful for the future, though--no longer dwelling on the past she was forced to leave behind.

“He was not a good man, though,” Zelena clarifies, staring up at the ceiling. “He used me and he threatened me… You know, I’m not always even sure it was love, but rather, I wanted his validation. And I got it, briefly, but he said that the hurt I felt inside would always get the best of me."

Marian strokes Zelena's hair with reassuring tenderness. As a mother, she knows what it's like to ease someone's pain. But as a lover, she hopes she can.

"And look, he was right. Everything that's special about me is now gone." This momentarily crushes her hopes, but the way Zelena inspires her far surpasses it.

"That's not true!" she insists, sitting up to look at the enchantress. There is not a single thing about the woman that isn't special. "Maybe that man doesn't know what it's like to be special without powers, but that's his own shortcoming. You are special for who you are."

Shaking her head, Zelena sits up, the moonlight shadowing her face in an almost haunting way. "Yeah, but do you really think I'm special? Or am I just the first woman whom you can cast your affections on to?"

"Zelena..." Marian sighs. "I'm not some kind of--"

"Witch?"

“Stop it! Don’t you get how I feel about you? I don’t even know if you truly feel you should be with a woman, because you never want to talk about it. But I want to be with you so badly, so I just hope every day that you won’t change your mind. _That’s_ how special I think you are.”

Zelena remains silent for a moment, looking uncomfortable but her mouth twitches as she seems to make an attempt at covering it up. “You know what, I’m sorry.” She lays back down in Marian’s arms. “Perhaps it’s best if we both refrain from questioning one another.”

Their smooth, slender arms wrap around each other and Marian realizes that Zelena’s apprehension may not have anything to with them being women. She may have simply been scorned too deeply by love to open herself up to it.

But Marian believes it’s possible for anyone to love again.

\--

Marian knows she’s not fighting an uphill battle with Zelena. She knows that there’s going to be ups and downs, because sometimes people break, and trying to put the pieces back together takes you in all directions.

She, herself, has been broken since she arrived in Storybrooke. And she is sure Zelena has been for quite some time, too. But Marian wants to make the most of the time fate gives her and she believes this journey of repair with Zelena is a worthwhile one. Because there’s a chance they might find true love.

She knows that finding true love involves taking a chance. Running away with Robin was a risk and in some way, at some point, they did have love between them. But now Marian is getting a second chance at true love and she believes it is worth anything that comes their way.

Time has become a strange concept for her, but she knows she shouldn’t waste any of it. She’s learned that it’s too precious and too indispensable, which is what brought her to Regina’s office after dropping Roland off.

Robin is perhaps the only man to have been widowed and divorced by the same woman, and yet, here they are standing in his soulmate’s office, about to have a discussion regarding her new relationship. Marian never would have imagined her life being like this. Then again, she supposes she was never meant to have this life, at all.

“I’ve started seeing someone.”

“Really? That’s great, Marian!” Robin exclaims.

But she isn’t here for validation. She is here because she already knows that her love is just as important as the one Robin has, and it deserves to be treated as such.

“It’s getting serious and I would like to know that I can see her during my time with Roland.”

“Wait-- _her_?” His eyes widen and his mouth drops a bit. Surely, he’s shocked. But she imagines that slowly, in time, he will begin to piece it together.

“I think it’s always been this way for me,” she says, vocalizing her internal thoughts. “I’m just happy that I can finally be myself.” The shocked expression leaves his face and is replaced with something somewhat questioning. Sighing, she steps toward him. “This isn’t about you, though. You were my first love, Robin.” At this point, Regina clears her throat and looks up from her desk. “But I think we may have both found _true love_ , now…”

Robin shakes his head. “If you’re happy, then I’m happy for you. That’s all that matters,” he says, with a small, but genuine smile.

“Good,” she says calmly, hoping the conversation can end in the same manner. But she’s already bracing herself for otherwise.

“So...perhaps...I could just meet with her? I know you didn’t get to have a say in Roland being around who I started seeing, but that was--I mean, you weren’t--”

“Actually, you’ve already met her,” Marian says, putting an end to Robin’s struggle (and effectively starting her own).

“Oh! I suppose between realms, so many of us have crossed paths by now.” Across realms and time, they have all become so complicatedly connected. “Who is she?”

“Zelena.”

Regina drops her mug, spilling her hot beverage of choice on the wood.

“Marian, you--you can’t be serious. She’s _dangerous_ ,” Robin tells her.

 _‘Not dangerous--wicked,’_ she thinks to herself, just as Zelena would say. “She’s not. Not when you know her, she isn’t. She’s made mistakes, but she’s changing.”

“It hasn’t been that long since those mistakes, Marian. How can you be sure she’s truly on the path she claims to be?”

“Because I’m on it with her! And I just know. You, of all people, should understand the importance of second chances. This isn’t just her second chance. It’s mine, too,” she says, feeling the desperation on her own face.

“Alright, but it isn’t that simple,” Robin protests. “How can I allow her to be around our son, after all she’s done? She tried to kill Henry!”

“And Regina tried to kill me!”

The room goes silent at this point and when Regina gets up, she braces herself for some kind of attack, but instead the woman exits the room. Now she’s done it, Marian thinks, while avoiding Robin’s gaze.

But everything had boiled inside of her at once, causing all the calmness to evaporate from her body. Nothing that has happened to her is fair and even when she made something of the situation, it’s still not enough.

Why is it never enough?

Just as she is about to make some sort of amends, Regina reenters the office and Marian nearly gasps when she sees what’s hanging from the Queen’s slender fingers.

“I did give my sister a second chance. Everyone deserves one, and I’m glad you got one, too, Marian, because I know that now,” Regina says, and it feels as though the entire world is waiting with baited breath for her to continue. “And if she’s using this chance to find love, then...maybe she truly is changing.”

A deep breath comes from Regina, which grants one for Marian and Robin, as well. She pulls out Marian’s hand, gently dropping the amulet into it.

“You have my blessing.”

Marian looks to Regina with a warmness she never would have expected to feel toward the Evil Queen.

But she learned from the Wicked Witch that it’s best to embrace the feelings as they come, because there’s no hiding them, anyway.

\--

Once the shock wore off and with Regina’s blessing, Robin was able to return to his virtues. While Marian knew better of him, she could understand his initial reaction. Of course, the circumstances of her finding out that her husband and the Evil Queen were together were much different. But then again, Robin had just endured a battle with the Wicked Witch that she had not even been alive for.

Regardless, they were able to work things out--regarding Roland, at least. Because the rest seemed to work itself out for them. Robin and Regina’s love was fate, but they had to come together on their own. Zelena opened up the portal that made it possible for Marian to live, and brought them together. Perhaps they were making their own destiny, after all.

With all they had overcome, and with the past behind them, Marian is hopeful that Roland will always have a loving family to return home to.

She left the mansion with a broad smile and swelling heart, heading straight for the cabin.

“I have a surprise for you, Zelena!” she says, sitting the woman down in front of her vanity.

“Hmm, I’ve never really preferred to be on the _receiving_ end of surprises, but I suppose this will do,” Zelena responds and Marian can’t help but grin at her in the mirror, because she knows she would never want the woman to soften completely--only enough to let her affection show through.

She knows how important this is, especially since it’s coming not only from Marian, but also from Zelena’s sister. And she knows that Zelena is special without her magic, but she knows that she is special enough to deserve getting it back.

“Ready?” she whispers. “One, two three…” She pulls out the chain and places it around Zelena’s neck. As soon as she clasps it together, the amulet shatters and falls to the surface below them.

“No!” Marian gasps. Her chest tights; begins to heave. Countless dark theories run through her mind, but all she knows is that _she_ put the enchanted amulet on Zelena, and it broke.

Zelena smiles--actually _smiles_ \--which briefly brings devastation to her heart. But the witch waves her hand and the remains of the amulet form a ring. Turning around, Zelena slides it onto Marian’s finger.

“H-How?” Marian stammers in disbelief, looking from the sparkling ring to Zelena’s even more sparkling eyes.

“I thought you were supposed to be the ‘good’ one,” she says, taking Marian’s hands. “True love is the most powerful magic of all. It can break any curse,” she recites, in an enchanting voice.

Still not understanding, Marian shakes her head. The rest of her body is shaking, too, but Zelena’s steady hands keep hold of hers.

“My magic isn’t trapped in that amulet anymore.”

Marian releases an audible, shaky breath and cracks a hesitant smile. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you, Marian. _You_ brought my magic back,” Zelena says.

With a tearful laugh, Marian leans down and kisses the woman. “I love you, Zelena!” she whispers.

Marian holds her love, who created the curse that brought them together; admires the ring, created from the curse she broke. And for a cursed life that she was never supposed to have, she finds it rather amazing.


End file.
